May 25, 2023
Top 10 Stock Nasdaq Hold Recommendation



How to read the ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:

Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Snapshot: Nasdaq – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Investment Services Index


nasdaq.com


Nasdaq is listed as a top 10 stock on May 25, 2023 in the market index D.J. US Investing because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 27 (27% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for Nasdaq on May 25, 2023.


Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks


Country USA
Industry Financial Exchanges & Data
Index Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, Human Rights, Renewables Users, NASDAQ, D.J. US Investing, S&P 500
Size class X-Large
Latest Research


Top 10 Stocks ≠ most popular stocks

When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).

For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).


360° View: Obermatt 360° Assessment Nasdaq Hold

360 METRICS May 25, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT
360° VIEW
360° VIEW

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Nasdaq are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for Nasdaq. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 76, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 76% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 63 or better than 63% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 18, meaning that the share price of Nasdaq is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 21. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a 360° View of 27, Nasdaq is worse than 73% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 76) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 63), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of Nasdaq̣ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more




Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Nasdaq very positive

SENTIMENT METRICS May 25, 2023
ANALYST OPINION
ANALYST OPINION
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 76 (better than 76% compared with alternatives) for 2023, overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Nasdaq is very positive. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Nasdaq. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 41 (worse than 59% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 53, which indicates a shift in stock research experts opinions for the better. In other words, they are getting more optimistic about stock investments in Nasdaq. Even better, the Professional Investors rank is 98, meaning that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 98% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. Furthermore, Market Pulse has a rank of 57, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are upbeat when discussing this company (more positive news than for 57% of competitors). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 76 (more positive than 76% compared with investment alternatives), Nasdaq has a reputation among professional investors that is significantly higher than that of its competitors. While analysts are still critical of the company, some are changing their minds. In addition, the professional news channels are optimistic, and many institutional investors have already bought stock in the company. These are encouraging signals, despite the still lower level of analyst recommendations. They may be due to a problematic past, and about to change. The positive sentiment signals are stronger than the negative. ...read more



Value Strategy: Nasdaq Stock Price Value low

VALUE METRICS May 25, 2023
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 18 (worse than 82% compared with alternatives), Nasdaq shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Nasdaq. Price-to-Sales is 24 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 76% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Nasdaq's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 21, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Nasdaq. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 27 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 52% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 18, is a SELL recommendation based on Nasdaq's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Nasdaq? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Nasdaq? It's risky, and even if it continues to grow because of popular demand, it will most likely return to what it's worth. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is reasonable for the company to dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Nasdaq may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. ...read more



Growth Strategy: Nasdaq Growth Momentum negative

GROWTH METRICS May 25, 2023
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 21 (better than 21% compared with alternatives), Nasdaq shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Nasdaq. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 32, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 68% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 14, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 37. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 63% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 73, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 73% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 21, is a SELL recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Nasdaq, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with an above-market return. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive shareholder returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. ...read more



Safety Strategy: Nasdaq Debt Financing Safety above-average

SAFETY METRICS May 25, 2023
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE
REFINANCING
REFINANCING
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), the company Nasdaq has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of Nasdaq is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Nasdaq. Refinancing is at 61, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 61% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 58, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 58% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 40, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 60% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), Nasdaq has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Nasdaq could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. ...read more



Combined financial peformance: Nasdaq Lowest Financial Performance

COMBINED PERFORMANCE May 25, 2023
VALUE
VALUE
GROWTH
GROWTH
SAFETY
SAFETY
COMBINED
COMBINED

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 11 (worse than 89% compared with investment alternatives), Nasdaq (Financial Exchanges & Data, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Nasdaq are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Obermatt Value Rank of 18 (worse than 82% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 21) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 63), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: An Obermatt Combined Rank of 11, is a sell recommendation based on Nasdaq's financial characteristics. As the company Nasdaq's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 18) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 21), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 63) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more

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